La pilates carves a men-only studio brand out of its 110-store network, starting in Ebisu
La pilates, which runs more than 110 pilates studios nationwide, has broken off a dedicated men-only brand for the first time, opening OTOKO NO PILATES in Ebisu at a steep opening discount to test whether men's wellness spending extends to the studio floor.
La pilates, a pilates chain with more than 110 locations nationwide, opened its first men-only studio, OTOKO NO PILATES, in Ebisu on 25 September, the company said.
The Shibuya-ward studio, a two-minute walk from Ebisu Station, combines chiropractic-style body conditioning, machine pilates and strength training under one roof, which La pilates frames as a "condition, move, strengthen" sequence aimed at men from beginners to experienced trainers. A standard first session is priced at ¥14,000, cut to ¥3,000 for the opening promotion, and includes rental workout wear and water; the studio runs from 9am to 9pm, with last bookings at 8pm.
The launch extends a pilates operator that has scaled almost entirely on a female clientele into a men-specific format and brand, rather than simply opening more of its existing studios, with the Ebisu location named the flagship, or first store, of the new label.
The bet is a Product one before it is a Place one: La pilates already has the Tokyo real estate and the studio count to open anywhere, so the interesting move is carving out a men-only sub-brand rather than adding male hours to existing studios. Pilates and conditioning studios have marketed almost exclusively to women in Japan, and a dedicated men's format, priced with a steep opening discount to get first-timers through the door, is a wager that men's grooming and wellness spending, already visible in barbering and men's skincare, extends to studio fitness too. Whether OTOKO NO PILATES becomes a second format alongside La pilates' existing network, rather than a single flagship, depends on whether Ebisu's men actually rebook past the ¥3,000 trial.